Seattle Mariners 2021 Report Cards: Kendall Graveman

Hey, do you remember Kendall Graveman? Sorry, not a funny joke. Kendall Graveman was arguably one of the biggest surprises for the Seattle Mariners in 2021 and deserves a lot of credit for the second-place finish in the AL West.

Kendall Graveman showed out for the Seattle Mariners in 2021

After taking a chance on the subpar starting pitcher in 2020, the Seattle Mariners saw enough to re-sign him for 2021. In 2020, he pitched in just 18.2 innings and posted a 5.79 ERA, but his conversion to the bullpen clearly did him some good.

Then in 2021, we were finally able to see a compelty healthy Graveman that was accustomed to the bullpen and man was he nasty. His hard sinker seemed untouchable at times when he got ahead of the batter.

Then came Kendall Graveman’s departure which was heartbreaking because he posted an 0.82 ERA with 10 saves, and a 4-1 record. He struck out 34 batters in 33 innings and came up clutch in some huge games.

Kendall Graveman also deserves credit for who the Seattle Mariners acquired at the deadline

So I think it’s pretty obvious that Kendall Graveman deserves an A+. He even gets extra credit points that carry over to his next couple of homework assignments because of Abraham Toro. I know people are still pretty salty about the trade and what the Seattle Mariners could’ve done if we kept Graveman, but Toro has a lot of long-term value.

I don’t think Graveman alone would have gotten us very far in the playoffs and Toro made an immediate impact once joining. Plus, Graveman brought us long-time veteran Joe Smith who did a solid job once arriving in Seattle.

I know Graveman enjoyed his time in Seattle and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds himself in a Seattle Mariners uniform again. He will be a free agent at the end of the season so wouldn’t that be something if he came back to Seattle.